Bill > HR4984

This bill allows the Secretary of the Army to extract, process, manage, and utilize natural gas found beneath Fort Knox, Kentucky, by adding a new section to Title 10 of the United States Code, which governs the Armed Forces. This authority is granted without being subject to Section 3 of the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands, a law that typically governs the leasing of minerals on federal land. The Secretary can contract with a private entity to carry out these activities, and importantly, any natural gas produced can only be used to support operations at Fort Knox and cannot be sold for use elsewhere. The bill also permits the Secretary to acquire ownership of the necessary gas production and treatment equipment and facilities from the contracting entity, as outlined in their agreement, and this authority is retroactively effective as of August 2, 2007.